Sweet juicy watermelon paired with salty feta, fresh basil, and tart lime juice is a refreshing and easy to make summer salad.
You aren’t going to believe this, but the first watermelon I bought this summer just happened to be for this salad. I know! Watermelon is one of my favorite fruits to eat in the summer, I usually end up eating it until I practically make myself sick. There’s something about the crisp bite and all that refreshing sweet juice!
The problem I have with watermelon is that half the time I buy one it ends up being gross. Either mealy in texture, which is the worst, or pale inside and not sweet at all. I do the tapping method when I’m trying to pick one out, seeing if it sound hollow inside. I look for a heavy one and one that doesn’t have any of the stem still attached. None of this matters in my case, I still end up with a gross one 50% of the time. What methods do you use for picking out a good watermelon?
Well, luck was on my side with the baby watermelon I bought to make this Grilled Watermelon, Feta, and Basil Salad. I decided to start small and buy the baby size instead of a full size one, just in case it was lacking in the flavor and texture department. Another great thing about the baby sized watermelon is that it didn’t hog up an entire shelf of my fridge!
So, this salad. You knew I had to find one more excuse to grill something, so why not throw some slices of watermelon on? Grilled watermelon is delicious, but just be careful not to grill it too long. If you do it gets kind of mushy and slimy which is not good. If you don’t have a grill or don’t want to bother you can skip that step, but I highly recommend giving it a try. Watermelon paired with feta is a magical sweet and salty combination that I absolutely love! Then when you throw in the freshness of the basil and that tart acid from the lime it really send this salad over the top. I finished the salad with a sweet balsamic reduction drizzled on top which not only made the grilled watermelon salad look beautiful, but completed the sweet and salty flavors of this delicious summer salad!
Yields 4-5 servings
15 minPrep Time
5 minCook Time
20 minTotal Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 1 whole mini/baby watermelon
- 4 ounces feta cheese, cut into cubes
- Juice of 1/2 a lime
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil, sliced thin
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- Black pepper to taste
- Balsamic reduction for drizzling, I used the one in this recipe or you can buy pre-made at Trader Joe's
Instructions
- Cut the watermelon into 1 inch thick slabs and lightly brush them with olive oil.
- Place the slabs of watermelon cut side down onto a heated grill and grill for about 2-3 minutes per side or until marked and warm.
- Remove from the grill and cut off the rind, then cut into 1 inch cubes.
- Toss the grilled watermelon with the basil, salt, pepper, and lime juice.
- Gently fold in the cubed feta being careful not to break it up.
- Drizzle the salad with the balsamic reduction before serving.
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